TMG Think Tank for Sustainability

Just Transitions

Strengthening Human Rights-based Land Governance

As a think tank focusing on “how” to transition to sustainability, TMG Research works at the interface of questions around food security, climate resilience, and ecosystem restoration.

The evidence is clear, there can be no just transitions towards climate-resilient and land degradation-neutral landscapes without securing the legitimate land tenure rights of those who live and work on the land.

Jes WeigeltTMG Research

TMG at UNCCD COP 15

Events
4
Publications & Articles
8
Speakers
20+
Rights and Responsibilities: a land governance agenda for UNCCD COP 15

Our key messages

Human Rights & Land Navigator

The Human Rights and Land Navigator

We co-hosted four side events at the 15th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP 15), which took place on 9-20 May 2022. These events explored practical entry points to empower communities that depend most on land and natural resources to claim their legitimate rights and fulfil their rightful roles as stewards of these precious resources for the benefit of people and planet. The connecting link across these events was the importance of protecting legitimate land rights to achieve the Convention's objectives of combating desertification, land degradation and drought, and scaling up ecosystem restoration.
We brought together our local, national and international partners to practically demonstrate how we initiate change processes to advance the "the governance of sustainability" at multiple levels. Our COP 15 activities highlighted insights from years of work to connect the dots between local "social innovations" - co-designed by TMG and its partners to strengthen access to land for women, youth and other marginalised groups - and land governance frameworks at the national and higher levels.
Watch the recap video
The story does not end here. We also contributed directly to land tenure negotiations, building on our partnerships with four African governments to monitor the implementation of Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) projects from a human rights lens.
Parties have reiterated their intent to apply the principles of the VGGT in their national programmes to combat desertification, land degradation and drought. We will continue to support parties and work with stakeholders and broad alliances of actors to make the content of this decision a reality.

Publications & Articles

Rights and Responsibilities: a land governance agenda for UNCCD COP 15

Info Brief

Rights and Responsibilities: a land governance agenda for UNCCD COP 15

TMG Think Tank for Sustainability

Legitimate Tenure Rights for Food Security, Climate Resilience, and Ecosystem Restoration - TMG Research’s approach to responsible and inclusive land governance

Responsible Land Governance in Land Degradation Neutrality Programmes: Insights from Benin and Kenya

Report

Responsible Land Governance in Land Degradation Neutrality Programmes: Insights from Benin and Kenya

Check Abdel Kader Baba, Brian Washe Kazungu, Jes Weigelt & Anna Kramer

Global Soil Week 2021 Synthesis Report

The Human Rights and Land Navigator: Strengthening responsible land governance

Working Paper

The Human Rights and Land Navigator: Strengthening responsible land governance

Ilse Pelkmans, David Betge, Elena Müller & Jes Weigelt

Introducing the Human Rights and Land Navigator, an online database that links the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests (VGGT) to binding human rights standards

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TMG Think Tank for Sustainability consists of TMG Research gGmbH, an independent, non-partisan, non-for-profit organization registered in Berlin (District Court Charlottenburg, HRB 186018 B, USt.-ID: DE311653675) and TMG - Töpfer, Müller, Gaßner GmbH, a private company registered in Berlin (District Court Charlottenburg, HRB 177576 B USt.-ID: DE306832549).

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